• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2024

Background: This study examines the relationship between functional disability and work ability in workers affected by low back pain (LBP) through an analysis of correlations between the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Work Ability Index (WAI). The role of personal and work factors on functional disability/work ability levels has also been studied. LBP is the most common musculoskeletal problem and a major disabling health problem worldwide. Its etiology is multifactorial. Multidisciplinary approaches may help reduce the burden of pain and disability and improve job continuity and reintegration at work. Methods: A cohort of 264 patients affected by LBP from an Italian outpatient clinic were included in a clinical diagnostic/therapeutic trial aiming at rehabilitation and return to work through an integrated investigation protocol. Data were collected during the first medical examination using anamnestic and clinical tools. The final sample is composed of 252 patients, 57.1% man, 44.0 % blue collars, 46.4% with the high school degree, 45.6% married. Results: WAI and ODI reported a negative and fair correlation (r = -0.454; p = .000). Workers with acute LBP symptoms have a higher probability of severe disability than those with chronic LBP symptoms. White collars without depressive symptoms reported higher work ability - even in chronic disability conditions-than those with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The study found that ODI and WAI have a convergent validity and this suggests that the two tools measure capture distinctive aspects of disability related to personal, environmental, and occupational characteristics. The most important and modifiable prognostic factors found for ODI and WAI were depressive symptoms, workday absence, and intensity of back pain. The study also found a mild association between age and ODI. The study's findings highlight the importance of using a multidisciplinary approach to manage and prevent disability due to LBP.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2017

Objectives: Sleep disturbance is a very rapidly growing disease with aging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep disturbances and its predictive factors in a three-year cohort study of people aged 60 years and over in Korea. Methods: In 2012 and 2014, we obtained data from a survey of the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. We asked participants if they had been diagnosed with stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, arthritis, pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, cataract, glaucoma, hepatitis B, urinary incontinence, prostate hypertrophy, cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or metabolic syndrome. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination for dementia screening in 2012, and depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in 2012 and 2014. In 2015, a structured clinical interview for Axis I psychiatric disorders was administered to 235 people, and sleep disturbance was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The perceived stress scale and the State-trait Anger Expression Inventory were also administered. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict sleep disturbance by gender, age, education, depression score, number of coexisting diseases in 2012 and 2014, current anger score, and perceived stress score. Results: Twenty-seven percent of the participants had sleep disturbances. Logistic regression analysis showed that the number of medical diseases three years ago, the depression score one year ago, and the current perceived stress significantly predicted sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Comorbid medical disease three years previous and depressive symptoms evaluated one year previous were predictive of current sleep disturbances. Further studies are needed to determine whether treatment of medical disease and depressive symptoms can improve sleep disturbances.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate difference of the alexithymia between panic patients and normal controls by examination of the relationships between different components of the alexithymia construct and level of anxiety and depression in panic patients and normal controls. Methods The subjects were 167 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder and 110 normal controls. They drew up symptom checklists and self-rating scales, and were measured by Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Panic attack & Agoraphobia(ADIS-P & A), Korean version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State & Trait (STAI-S & T), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Revised Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-R). For statistical analysis, we performed t-test to compare the sociodemographic characteristics and the scores of self reported scales between panic patients and normal controls. Pearson correlation was performed between TAS-20K and it's subfactors, STAI-S & T, ASI-R and BDI in panic patients and normal controls. And stepwise multiple regression analysis was preformed to explain results of correlation analysis for alexithymia. Results: The panic patients reported more significant alexithymic (p<0.001), more difficulty identifying feeling (p<0.001) and describing feeling (p=0.001) than normal controls. Futhermore, panic patients were more significant anxious, sensitive to anxious feeling and depressive than normal controls. Moreover, the alexithymia of panic patients was explained by trait-anxiety $({\Delta}R^2=0.255)$ and anxiety sensitivity $({\Delta}R^2=0.062)$, that of normal controls was predicted by depression $({\Delta}R^2=0.144)$ and anxiety sensitivity $({\Delta}R^2=0.033)$ Conclusion: The panic patients reported more anxious and sensitive to anxious feeling, and these symptoms predict alexithymia in panic patients. However, the alexithymia of normal controls was explained by depression more than anxiety sensitivity, and such a result isn't consistent with previous studies and this may be mainly due to difference of the homogeneity in object of the studies.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.92-98
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• 2007

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing and often presents with comorbid depressive symptoms. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep parameters as measured by nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and simultaneous wrist actigraphy. Methods: Two hundred sixty-four subjects with clinically suspected cases of OSAS underwent one-night polysomnography, while simultaneously wearing a wrist actigraphy device. They also completed two questionnaires；the Epworth Sleepiness Scale-Korean version (ESS-K) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Of the cases studied, 105 subjects were proven by NSPG to have OSAS without other sleep disorders. NPSG and wrist actigraphy data from the subjects were analyzed. Pearson correlation and paired t-test were used in order to evaluate the relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep-parameters. Results: Mean age of the subjects was $46.1{\pm}13.1$ years. Means of the ESS-K score and BDI scores were $10.9{\pm}4.7$ and $12.8{\pm}8.1$, respectively. NPSG sleep parameters significantly differed from those of wrist actigraphy. There was no correlation found between subjects' respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and BDI scores. When directly comparing sleep parameters between subjects who were more depressed versus subjects who were less depressed, both total sleep time and sleep efficiency were decreased in the more depressed. A correlation between RDI and ESS-K scores was also found in the more depressed group. Conclusions: Although our findings suggest that there is no relationship between RDI and depressive symptoms, there are other significant differences in the sleep parameters between subjects who are more depressed versus those without depression. We recommend that patients with depression should also be evaluated for clinical symptoms of OSAS.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.428-437
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• 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe health status and to identify the factors related to health behavior in older adults in South Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 186 older people (mean age =68.2yrs, 65.1% Female) registered at one senior center. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires or through face to face interview. The instruments were the Modified Health Behavior Assessment Scale, Stanford Research Instruments for Chronic Disease, Self-Efficacy, SOF Frailty Index and Quality of life questionnaire. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: 58.6% older adults perceived their health status positively. Education level and economic status were significantly related to health behaviors of older adults. Self-rated health, sleep, stress, quality of life, health distress, depression, and frailty were significantly correlated with the health behaviors of older adults. Frailty, education level, and sleep disturbance were the significant factors predicting the health behaviors. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that nurses should take into consideration education level of older adults to promote their health behaviors and health promotion program which focuses on maintaining the quality of sleep and preventing frailty.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.103-112
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• 2017

PURPOSE: Regular physical activity in the elderly population has significant benefits for health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aquatic group exercise on body composition and mental health of the elderly females. METHODS: This study included 40 elderly women. The aquatic group exercise program was performed for an hour a day, 3 times a week for 12 weeks with moderate-intensity level. The body composition, physical fitness mental health instruments were used to measure the outcome variables before and after the program. Data was analyzed with SPSS using descriptive statistics and the t-test. RESULTS: It was found that the 12 week aquatic group exercise program had effects on body mass and BMR were significantly improved after the intervention of this study. In health related physical fitness, flexibility and sense of balance were significantly increased in the participants. In the mental health of the female elderly participants were evaluated in areas such as depression, sense of isolation, interpersonal anxiety, and sociality. They showed significant change in a positive way. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that aquatic group exercise should be activated and encouraged to enhance physical and mental health of elderly women and various types of manuals should be developed according to characteristics of programs to operate this exercise more effectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.422-427
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• 1997

Breeding efficiency was investigated to reveal crucial factors for constructing effective breeding system with subdivided populations under equal genetic level. Simulation study of selection experiment was performed for 20 generations with 20 replications each, comparing average breeding values and inbreeding coefficients between the two breeding systems; single population scheme and two population scheme, each of which had the same genetic parameters. Genetic correlations (-0.5 to 0.5) were assumed to be caused only by pleiotropic effect of a gene. Phenotypes of the two traits generated by polygenic effect with additive 36 loci and residuals distributed normally were selected by two traits selection index procedure. Comparing between the single population scheme and the two population scheme, the single population scheme showed higher genetic gain with lower inbreeding coefficient. This result was confirmed particularly for the situation of high selection intensity, high heritability and high degree of unevenness for economic weight. Genetic correlations in the single population scheme were significantly lower than the two population scheme when initial genetic correlation was negative. When terminal crossbreeding for the two population scheme is taken into account, superiority of the two population scheme was suggested. The terminal crossbreeding was effective under the situation of long term selection, existence of moderate inbreeding depression and use of less extreme economic weight.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 1970

In an attempt to clarity the effect of X-irradiation on the activity of surfactant in rabbits, and also to observe the possible difference when the irradiation was made in single or fractionated dose, X-ray in dose of 900 r was irradiated to rabbits either in single or fractionated dose of 300 r each day for three day, Tension-area diagram of lung extract was recorded automatically by a modified Langmuir-Wilhelmy balance with a synchronized recording system designed in this department. The surface tension of lung extract was measured at 1,3,5,24, and 48 hours post-irradiation, and the results were compared with the non-irradiated normal group. The result obtained are summerized as follows: 1) The maximal surface tension, minimal surface tension, width of the tension-area diagram at the surface area of 40% in lung extract, and stability index of the normal rabbit lung extracts were 40.73 dynes/cm, 8.96 dynes/cm. 20.71 dynes/cm, and 1.28 respectively. 2) Activity of surfactant was significantly depressed by X-irradiation, and the pattern of depression was more prominent in the single irradiation group than in the fractionated group. 3) It was found that the changes of the width of the tension-area diagram at the surface area of 40% in lung extract and stability indices corresponded well with that of the maximal or minimal surface tension.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2013

The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of ginseng as a treatment option for managing menopause symptoms. We searched the literature using ll databases from their inception to 26 September 2012 and included all randomised clinical trials (RCTs) that compared any type of ginseng to a placebo controls in postmenopausal women. The methodological quality of all studies was assessed using a Cochrane risk of bias tool. Four RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Most RCTs had high risk of bias. One RCT showed that Korean red ginseng (KRG) significantly improved sexual arousal and global health compared with placebo. Another RCT reported the superiority of KRG over placebo for treating menopause symptoms on Kupperman's index and menopausal rating score. The third RCT failed to show a significant effect of KRG on hot flash frequency compared to placebo. The fourth RCT found beneficial effects of ginseng compared to placebo on depression and well-being. In conclusion, the evidence on ginseng as an effective treatment for managing menopause symptoms is limited. Most of the RCTs are burdened with a high risk of bias. Thus firm conclusions cannot be drawn. Rigorous studies seem warranted.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.76-86
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of study was to examine the relationship between obesity and its associated factors (psychiatric symptom, duration of illness, type of medication, physical activity, dietary habits, depressive symptom, and stress) in patients with chronic mental illness registered to community mental health welfare centers. Methods: This was a cross-sectional correlation study using a convenience sampling. A total of 392 participants were recruited from community mental health welfare centers. The obtained data were analyzed using binary and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Atypical antipsychotic medication, duration of illness, dietary habits (overeating, and drinking instant coffee) were significantly contributed variables into body mass index (BMI) obesity. Atypical antipsychotic medication and instant coffee were significantly related to abdominal obesity. Conclusion: These results emphasized the needs of tailored obesity-preventive management for the community-dwelling patients with chronic mental illness, topically focusing on the administration of atypical antipsychotic medication, duration of illness, and dietary habits.